After winning the United States Olympic trials in the Laser class by just a few feet, Andrew Campbell (SFS ’06) was well out of the running once he got to the Olympic competition in Beijing.

Campbell edged out Brad Funk in October to qualify for the Beijing games, but struggled in his Olympic races. There were questions leading up to the Laser class sailing event about light wind conditions and an algae bloom before the games that made sailing impossible. The algae was cleared, but winds were sporadic, with hot, muggy and windless days followed by days of heavy breezes during the event, held August 12 to 19.

Campbell won the third race of the games by 19 seconds, but the top finish was the exception for Campbell rather than the rule. His best finish after that came in the seventh of the nine qualifying races, an eighth-place showing in a heat where all 42 boats finished.

He was disqualified in two races and placed 14th, 18th, 26th, 32nd and 31st in the others.

“There are few experiences like sailing your first Olympic race, I have to say, and I had some butterflies that I thought I’d put behind me in my youth sailing days,” Campbell wrote on his blog after his second day of racing. “I don’t know if nervous is the word, but certainly anxious about whether you’re doing the right things around the racecourse.”

After that post, Campbell won his only race of the games.

Englishman Paul Goodison won the gold medal with 63 points, well ahead of Vasilij Zbogar of Slovenia and his 81 points and Italian Diego Romero’s 85. Campbell finished 26th in the 43-man field with 174 points.

ichael Altman (’97) competed in the men’s lightweight four crew. His boat made the semifinal heat on August 14, but finished last, eliminating them from medal contention. The boat came in fifth in the B final, a consolation race.

On his blog, Altman wrote that he was disappointed in the finish and that he thought his boat was the best four he had rowed with.

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